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Jesse Salen is a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the firm's San Diego (Del Mar) office.

On June 22, 2023, Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act of 2023, which seeks to clarify the jurisprudence surrounding 35 U.S.C. § 101. The current patent eligibility requirements under Section 101 have been evolving by judicially-created exceptions stemming from the Supreme Court’s rulings in Alice and Mayo, and numerous Federal Circuit decisions that have interpreted the Alice and Mayo framework. Those opinions have, on occasion, appeared to provide inconsistent guidance that has led to continued confusion regarding section 101’s application.Continue Reading Senators Propose New Legislation to Clarify Patent Eligibility Under 35 U.S.C. § 101

We are excited to share Sheppard Mullin’s inaugural quarterly report on key Federal Circuit decisions. The Spring 2023 Quarterly Report provides summaries of most key patent law-related decisions from January 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023.Continue Reading 2023 Federal Circuit Case Summaries

On September 22, 2022, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) conducted a live meeting for its Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emerging Technologies (ET) Partnership Series. During this meeting, panelists from industry and the USPTO provided helpful tips on drafting and prosecuting patent applications that include AI components, including special tips for the biotech industry. Key takeaways from the meeting and published materials will be summarized in our Three-Part Blog Series.

Continue Reading Takeaways From the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies Partnership Series – Part Two of Three

On September 22, 2022, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) conducted a live meeting for its Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emerging Technologies (ET) Partnership Series. During this meeting, panelists from industry and the USPTO provided helpful tips on drafting and prosecuting patent applications that include AI components, including special tips for the biotech industry. Key takeaways from the meeting and published materials will be summarized in our Three-Part Blog Series.

Continue Reading Takeaways From the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies Partnership Series – Part One of Three

A Federal Circuit panel on Tuesday vacated its earlier finding that Teva induced infringement of U.S. Patent No. RE40,000, GSK’s patent covering its drug, Coreg®, and set a new round of oral argument for February 23.  Back in October, the Court in a 2-1 decision found Teva liable for induced infringement, even though Teva’s original label did not include the indication covered by the ’000 Patent.  In its ruling, the Court took issue with Teva’s marketing materials stating that its generic product is an AB rated generic of Coreg tablets without specific reference to any indication.  Following the decision, generic drug manufacturers and other interest groups asked the Court to reconsider, arguing that the ruling would impede the availability of low-cost generic drugs to reach the market and would effectively nullify the purpose of the Section viii statement, which allows a generic company to “carve out” any reference to a patented indication from its product’s labeling.
Continue Reading Federal Circuit Agrees to Reconsider Ruling in GSK v. Teva Drug Patent Case

We first wrote on this topic nearly a year ago[1]. Since then, courts have had an opportunity to interpret some of the provisions of the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA). Indeed, since it was signed into law, more than 360 DTSA claims have been filed, with more than 343 complaints filed in federal court. California has seen more of these cases than any other state, finding itself host to over 15% of all DTSA claims.

As we addressed in our previous blog, there are some key distinctions between the DTSA and California’s Uniform Trade Secret Act (CUTSA) that may inform companies how to run their businesses and prepare for litigation should it be necessary. Some of these distinctions have come into greater focus as courts have interpreted the DTSA, at times with surprising results.
Continue Reading UPDATE: The Federal Defend Trade Secrets Act vs. The California Uniform Trade Secrets Act

Although some version of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (“UTSA”) has widely been adopted by most states, including California, variations among the versions and related judicial interpretation has led to uncertainty—particularly in today’s interstate economy where trade secrets and misappropriation easily may cross multiple states.
Continue Reading The Federal Defend Trade Secrets Act vs. The California Uniform Trade Secrets Act

Modern innovation typically occurs one step-improvement at a time. Some clients initially question whether their new application of an existing technology is patentable. Usually, the answer is ‘yes.’ Under U.S. law (and most other jurisdictions), an innovation to an existing technology is patentable so long as at least one claim limitation is novel and non-obvious. See 35 U.S.C. §§ 102 and 103. Thus, innovative step-improvements to, and new applications of, existing technology may be patentable. Moreover, these step-improvements may prove lucrative, particularly when the underlying technology has entered the public domain, e.g., due to the expiration of the original patents. This concept is illustrated time and time again in the pharmaceutical industry where companies therein typically pursue competitive advantages by attempting to extend the patentable life of key technologies. One recent story illustrating this point was amplified in recent news when the FDA cleared a new pill produced by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals—the first pill of its kind produced using patented 3D printing technology.
Continue Reading Extending the Patentable Life of 3D Printers: A Lesson From the Pharmaceutical Industry

Summary

On December 15, 2014, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) released its updated 2014 Interim Guidance on Patent Subject Matter Eligibility (the “ Interim Eligibility Guidance”) in light of the recent Supreme Court decision in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank (“Alice”)[1], the Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics (“Myriad”)[2] and Mayo Collaborative Serv. v. Prometheus Labs. (“Mayo”)[3].  The Interim Guidance Document states the PTO will use a two-pronged subject matter eligibility test in response to the Alice, Myriad, and Mayo decisions.  This article summarizes the prongs of the test and provides some analysis about how the PTO is interpreting the language of Mayo, Myriad, and Alice under the Interim Eligibility Guidance.Continue Reading U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Clarifies “Patent Eligible Subject” Matter in its Recent Guidance in Light of Alice